New York

25 September 2013

Deputy Secretary-General's closing remarks at Special Event on Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
[as prepared for delivery]

Our generation is the first with the resources and know-how to end extreme poverty and make sustainable development a reality.

Today, we have taken an important step.

We have committed to intensifying efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

And we have also agreed to hold a Summit in 2015 to launch an ambitious and transformative development agenda for the post-2015 era.

We have noted the momentum generated by the Millennium Development Goals in achieving unprecedented development progress.

But we have also heard how progress differs sharply among and within countries.

Hunger and poverty remain prevalent.

More than 2.5 billion people lack adequate sanitation.

Too many women die in childbirth.

Environmental degradation and climate change are clear threats.

We need a universal post-2015 development agenda, with poverty eradication as its first priority and sustainable development at its core.

An agenda that promotes inclusive growth and decent employment and leaves no one behind.

An agenda that takes into account the special and diverse needs of countries, builds peace and promotes fair and effective governance. Strong institutions are crucial for durable progress.

To achieve these objectives we need new momentum and a renewed global partnership for development.

Public resources will not be sufficient to rid the world of poverty. We need to harness the power of multi-stakeholder partnerships and actively engage the private sector and civil society to accelerate progress.

I am heartened that your vision for a post-2015 development agenda echoes the vision the Secretary-General has laid out in his report “A Life of Dignity for All”.

As you continue to guide the discussions, the United Nations system stands ready to support you.

We appreciate the mandate given to the Secretary-General to synthesize the full range of inputs available from the ongoing processes in the General Assembly and report back before the end of 2014.

We will continue to engage all actors, including through a second round of global conversations led by the UN Development Group.

Defining the post-2015 development agenda is a daunting, yet inspiring challenge.

Your deliberations and decisions in the coming two years can transform lives for generations to come.

Let us therefore work together to define a global sustainable development agenda which permanently eliminates poverty in all its dimensions.

Let us pledge to build a world of peace and dignity, justice and human rights … a world where all share the fruits of development … a world where the planet’s resources are managed responsibility for the benefit of all.